it's all about the story, possums…

Female Action Heroes: The Strongest Wave Yet

Hollywood double-standards are a tougher opponent than KGB thugs or acid-blooded aliens. Theron, Johansson, Gadot … could do with female screenwriters to fully free them from the tendency to make their characters secondary. But in 2017, the fight is moving on. — Nick Hasted, Independent. Read more:

3 thoughts on “Female Action Heroes: The Strongest Wave Yet”

I enjoyed reading Nick’s review but am left wondering if that is all there is to say about the current wave of super-female roles. As for Atomic Blonde, my own review concludes:
“For many, the phrase ‘Hollywood genre films’ is not complimentary and films like this show why. Maybe filmmakers need reminding that there is more to the portrayal of strong women than making them more violent than men. The gratuitous non-stop carnage at times brings this film closer to a gore mashup than a serious spy thriller.”
What do you think?

I absolutely agree with your film review. 🙂 And yes, there is much more to say about the current wave of super-female roles. Atomic Blonde, for instance, is sourced from the graphic novel – Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart. So the role Charlize Theron plays feels like a cartoon character because it is. I agree with those calling for greater inclusion of female screenwriters in the writers’ rooms developing these emerging female heroes on our screens – if we want to see women portrayed more authentically. TV may be ahead of cinema in this regard. For example, I Love Dick has some inspired writing and directing of wonderful, outrageous, strong female characters, as well as a storyworld portrayed from a female point of view. There is still such a long way to go, but it’s worth acknowledging a recent increase in female protagonists, however flawed.